• Satellite images showed a 45-foot-long trench dug into the grounds of a Ukrainian church where a mass grave was found this week.
• Japan said it would consult with allies about additional sanctions to Russia.
Image: REUTERS
Ukrainian authorities were investigating possible war crimes by Russia after finding hundreds of bodies, some bound and shot at close range, strewn around towns near Kyiv after Kremlin forces withdrew to refocus their attacks in other parts of the country.
In the town of Bucha, 37 km (23 miles) northwest of Kyiv's city centre, Reuters reporters saw a man lay sprawled by the roadside, his hands tied behind his back and a bullet wound to his head.
Bucha's deputy mayor, Taras Shapravskyi, said 50 of some 300 bodies, found after Russian forces withdrew from the city late last week, were the victims of extra-judicial killings carried out by Russian troops. read more
Reuters could not independently verify those figures or who was responsible for the killings. read more
Russia's defence ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday that all photographs and videos published by the Ukrainian authorities alleging "crimes" by Russian troops in Bucha were a "provocation," and no resident of Bucha suffered violence at the hands of Russian troops.
Satellite images showed a 45-foot-long trench dug into the grounds of a Ukrainian church where a mass grave was found this week. Reuters reporters in Bucha visited a mass grave at one church that was still open, with hands and feet poking through the red clay heaped on top. read more
Pictures of the destruction and apparent violence towards civilians sparked widespread condemnation of Russia and leader Vladimir Putin. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the images as "a punch in the gut," while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation.
"Putin and his supporters will feel the consequences," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, adding that Western allies would agree on further sanctions in the coming days.
Japan said it would consult with allies about additional sanctions.
"Japan takes deaths of innocent civilians in Ukraine extremely seriously. We are really shocked," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular news conference.
WIDESPREAD FIGHTING
Russia has pulled back forces that had threatened Kyiv from the north, saying it intends to focus on eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine's General Staff said Russia expected to mobilise about 60,000 reservists.
"The military-political leadership of the Russian Federation has begun measures to covertly mobilise reservists in order to bring military units to wartime status," the general staff said on Monday.
Reuters could not independently confirm the claim.
Explosions were heard in the early hours of Monday in the cities of Kherson and Odesa, in the south, while air raid sirens sounded across the country's east.
British military intelligence said Russian troops, including mercenaries from the state-linked Wagner private military company, are being moved into the east.